Method of and machine for manufacturing concrete poles



April l0, 1934. J. F. NE PAGE 1,954,574

METHOD oF AND MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING CONCRETE PoLEs Filed Feb. 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 10,1934. 1 F NE PAGE 1,954,574

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING CONCRETE POLES Filed Feb. 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented pr. l0, 1934 ME'rHoi) 01? AND MACHINE Fon MANUFAC- TUBING coNcRETE PoLEs Justus F. Ne Page, Seattle, Wash., assigner to` Ne Page McKenny Co., Seattle, Wash., a corporation of Washington Application February 15, 1930, Serial No. 428,565

claims.

My invention relates to: improvements in machines for the manufacture of relatively long reinforced concrete articles and to the method o f 5 producing the same, with particular reference to the manufacture of reinforced concrete poles.

Machines of various kinds have heretofore been devised to make concrete poles by other processes. Most of these machines are cumbersome and diflicult to operate vand have low production rates, all of which tend to increase the cost of manufacture. Furthermore it has been difficult to prevent the formation of voids which may seriously affect the strength and appearance of the pole.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for the manufacture of relatively long and massive articles, as poles, posts, piles, standards, columns, and the like, which are hereinafter termed poles, from iiuid concrete which vis changed during the process of manufacture to concrete having a uniformly low water-cement ratio.

A further object is to provide improved means for the manufacture of reinforced concrete poles, posts, piles and the like wherein the concrete thereof is uniformly sound and free from voids and surface defects.

A final object is to provide means whereby the Amanufacture of reinforced concrete poles and other articles may be simplified, the rate of production increased and the unit costs of the product decreased.

These and other objects that will be apparent from the following description I attain by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure l is a side elevation showing the relation of the coacting elements.

l Figure 2 is a sectional view of the casting tower on broken line A--A of Fig. 1, showing the working platform.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation to a larger scale on the rotational axis of the bottom section of the fo-rm substantially on the line B-B of- Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section t'o an enlarged scale through the form at a guide member on line C-C of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section to the-same enlarged scale through the form above one of the guide members as at broken line D-"-D Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section also to an enlarged scale through the center of the throw-off member and catch basin at the top of the forms'ub'- stantially on line E-E of Fig. l.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

My inventionmay be used to manufacture various articles differing greatly in size'and shape.

The drawings illustrate" the equipnn'entI as* used for the production of reenforced concrete poles wherein 6 is a mold preferably built up of a series of sheet steel, tapering. Section halves 'l provided with longitudinal steel flanges 8 which may be xedly attached thereto by Welding as at 9, and provided also with end flanges 10 which may be of cast steel riveted to the ends of-` the section halves as shown clearly in Fig. 4. The abutting faces of flanges 8 and l0 are mach/ined to-assure tight joints and the outer edges 10 of anges, 10 also are machine to form journaled surfaces at the ends of each pair of form sections. Th'e several sections are first greased on the inside to prevent the concrete from sticking, andare then assembled to form' the complete nold by means of bolts 1l and 12v passing through regis-4 tering holes in flanges 8 and 10 respectively. The bottom of the mold is closed by m'eari's of a. heavy steel plate 13 and bolts 14 passing through holes in the plate registering with like holes in bottom flange 10. A

The assembled form 6 is positioned for rotation about its vertical axis by mounting the' same coaxially with the drive shaft 15` of a spinning unit 16 through the intermediacy of a hardened steel b'all 1'7 yfitting into spherical sockets at the centers of plate 13 and shaft 1'5"; Al torque arm 18 iixedly attached to drive shaft 15 has upwardly projecting pins 19 whichlengage holes. 20 through plate 13l and bottom. flange 10. Y i

The spinning unit 16 is preferably a standard, oil immersed, vertical, worm' gear, speed reducer' mounted on a common base 16 with a variable speed electricdriving motor 20. The slow speed shaft 15 of the speed reducer isk mounted in an ample ball thrust bearing, 16 in the" usual Inan' Der and is adapted to support the weight 0ftrie'- assembled form andV its concrete contents withla liberal margin of safety. A flexible couplingY 21i is used to connect the motor shaft with the high speed shaft` 22v of the spinning-y unit.

A structural steel tower 23? of suflici'ent height for the manipulation of the equipmentI when using the longest mold, is built up` of vertical corner members 24, horizontal members'25, diagonal braces 26 andtransverse cross braces 27, and is securely anchored to concrete foundation piers 28 by means offoundation bolts 28. z

A pair ofv structural steel channels 29 extendling along the tower fromA a ysuitable concrete base anchor 30A to approximately the 'height' f the mold, are fixedly securedy preferably b'y'rivet'- ing, tothe horizontal members of the tower crossed thereby to forman adequate support for the special roller'guide bearings' 31'.

The annular frame of these bearings comprises movable section` 34: hinged thereto asiat 35 adapted' to be' heldA inV the' closedA position" shown"- by means of a diametrically opposite lug and eye bolt arrangement 36. Lugs 37, projecting radially inward from the frame sections, carry hardened steel shafts 38 on which hardened steel rollers $9 are rotatively mounted. The rollers are so spaced as to accommodate abutting form flanges as shown clearly inFig. 5 of the drawings.

In thegftapering mold herein illustrated, it will be observed that the abutting anges at the ends of adjacent form sections have the same diameters, but that the different abutting flange pairs have different diameters and require guide bearings of different sizes as shown in Fig. 1. These are positioned in perpendicular axial alignment with the axis of shaft 15 of the spinning unit, and are removably secured to tower channels 29, preferably by means of bolts, thus providing substantial means for the support of the mold'in a vertical position and for the rotation of the same about its longitudinal axis. Y

A platform 40, preferably of wood planks which project beyond the tower either side of the mold as at 40 and provided with a railing 41, is laid across horizontal members 25 at the top end of the mold for the convenience of the operator.

Fitting onto the top of the mold and removably secured thereto by means of bolts 42, is an annular throw oiT member 43 which centrifuges the spill from themold into an annular catch basin 44 having a spout 44 which discharges the spill from the mold into a pipe 45 through which it ows to the ground, thus protecting the roller guide bearings from injurious grit and moisture.

The sand and gravel, screened to the desired size, is preferably stored in bins 46 from which they flow by gravity `under the control of the ground operator into the measuring apron 47 of a standard concrete mixer 48. The prescribed proportional amount of cement is then added and the charge dumped into the mixer where the specified amount of water is used to assure a mix of sullicient fluidity to meet the now requirements as hereinafter described.

beV

After thorough mixing, the concrete is discharged into a self dumping ho-ist bucket 49, pivotally mounted at 50 in frame 5l slidable on vertically disposed guides 52 and having flanged control wheels 53 rotatively mounted on stub shafts 54 flxedly secured to and projecting from the sides of the bucket and adapted to engage guides 52 or similar guides 55 to maintain the bucket in the normal position illustrated in the drawings. Guides 52 and 55 are conveniently secured to and supported by horizontal tower members 25 as seen best in` Fig. 1. 1

The bucket and its concrete contents are raised to a point near the top of the tower by means of suitable hoist gear 56 and wire cable 57 directionally controlled by means of sheaves 58 in the usual way, a variable speed electric motor 59 under the control of the ground operator, being used to supply'the necessary motive power.

' As control wheels 53 reach the curved portion of guides 55 and engage auxiliary guides 60,

Vthe bucket swings about pivotal point 50 as the frame 5l is raised, thusV dumping the concrete into open top container 61 having a conical bo-tvtom 62 which terminates at its small end in` a valve63, preferably of special design, adapted tov connected by a flexible hose 65, preferably rubber lined.y

After the mold 6, containing the required steel reinforcing rods 6 and rings 6 wired together to form a cage-like structure, is placed in position on the spinning unit and rotatively supported by the guide bearings, the pouring pipe 64 is lowered into the mold by means of motor driven hoisting gear 66 and cable 67 directionally controlled by means of sheaves 68 in the usual way as clearly indicated in the drawings. The variable speed driving motor 69 is preferably remotely controlled by the operator stationed on the pouring platform who stops the lowering operation when the bottom end of the pouring pipe is within a few inches of Vthe bottom of the mold, as indicated by a previously aflixed mark on the pipe.

The spinning motor 20 is next brought upto speed and control valve 63 opened. The fluid concrete then flows from container 61 through hose and pouring pipe 64 into the bottom of the mold, the speed of rotation of which is made such that the concrete builds up within the mold in the form of a paraboloidal basin72, the heavy particles of sand, gravel and concrete being centrifuged to the sides and settling to the bottom of the mold, and the excess water, air and fine silt, called suds, being forced into said basin as they are displaced by the heavier particles.

By using a tapered winding drum 66 and suitable gearing together withY a fairly uniform flow of concrete, pouring pipe '64 is automatically raised at approximately the same rate that the mold is filled. In case the flow of concrete should vary, the speed of motor 69 is changed accordingly by the operator so as to keep the lower end of pipe 64 raised several inches above the bottom of the paraboloidal basin.

As the moldin lled and the diameter of the paraboloidal basin decreases, the operator increases the speed of spinning motor 20 so as to preserve the approximate proportions of fsaid basin by thus compensating for the decreasing diameter of the mold.

The suds, squeezed from the concrete as it builds up in the mold, is finally spilled from the top of the mold over throw off member 43 which oentrifuges the spill into catch basin 44 `from which it flows through pipe 45 to theground, as previously described.

Valve 63 is closed when the mold is lled to a predetermined height so the remaining concrete flowing from pipe 64 will completely ll the mold, f

thoroughly settle the particles of concrete into 1 position While the next mold is being made ready. Motor 20 is then disconnected from the electric supply line and when the spinning mold comes to rest, a suitable crane, not shown, is used to remove it from the spinning unit after movable sections 34 of the guide bearings have been swung clear.y e

The crane is then used-to place another mold in position for spinning and the process described repeated.

At the end of the day, or as often asmay be required, the end of pipe 64 is placed in basin 44 and the hose and pouring pipe flushed with flowing Vwater frompipe 70by openingvalve 71 to remove any residualV deposits of concrete after valve 63 has been closed. 'I'his is also used to assist in removing obstructions in the hose and to wet the hose and pipe before filling the mold.

In case the hose or pouring pipe should become clogged for any reason during the pouring process, I find ,that the same may be quickly and easily cleared by closing valve 63 and admitting compressed air directly below the same by opening valve 72, thus permitting compressed air from compressor plant '73 to iiow through pipe 74 and making the air pressure effective in forcing the concrete through the hose and pouring pipe.

By means of my invention I am able to produce reinforced concrete poles of various lengths with very little change in the equipment. The equipment illustrated is adapted to manufacture 40 ft. poles or piles. By simply removing the bottom l0 foot sections, using a new bottom plate 13, removing the lowest guide bearing, moving each of the other guide bearings down 10 feet to the next position and rigging the platform on the next lower set of horizontal tower members, the remaining sections of the mold may be used to manufacture 30 foot poles or piles having the same top diameter. Many other combinations may be worked out to adapt the invention to a wide range of articles that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Although the concrete, as poured into the mold, must have a high Water-cement ratio in order to assure its flowing readily through the hose and piping, I find that the process is very effective in removing the excess water as previously described, and that, after the suds are spilled from the top, the concrete in the mold has a uniformly low watercement ratio for a wide range of excess water in the original mix, thus assuring a uniform product of high-strength concrete.

By rotating the mold at the proper speed to maintain a paraboloidal basin in the concrete and introducing the concrete in a steady stream from the pouring pipe, the discharge end of which is kept a short distance above said basin by raising the pipe during the pouring process, and then continuing spinning the mold after the same is filled until the concrete stops settling, I find that long reinforced concrete poles, and the like, may be manufactured economically with the apparatus of my invention and at a relatively high rate of production. Furthermore the process is such that a sound product free from voids and surface defects is invariably produced.

My invention is not limited to the specific construction herein described for it is obviously applicable to a wide range of uses in practice, each of which would require modifications in the construction of the equipment, readily apparent to those skilled in the art, in order to use the process and derive the maximum of benefits and advantages of the same.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent isz- 1. Apparatus for making reinforced concrete poles and the like embodying an upright mold, means for rotating said mold, a conduit extending axially intol said mold for delivering fluid concrete thereinto, means for raising and lowering said conduit, a receptacle for uid concrete located above said conduit, flexible hose means connecting said receptacle with said conduit, valve means controlling the iiow of concrete from said receptacle to said hose, and means for introducing air under pressure into the upper end of said hose for emptying said hose and said conduit after closing said valve.

2. In apparatus for the manufacture of long concrete poles and the like, a tapered tubular mould embodying a plurality of sections each formed of a plurality of longitudinal parts, annular flanges on the ends of said section parts, means for removably securing said longitudinal parts and said iianges together to fo-rm a mould of the desired size, a spinning mechanism mounting said mould in a substantially vertical position for axial rotation, a tower structure adjacent said spinning mechanism, a plurality of rollers rotatively mounted in a plurality of groups on said structure whereby the rollers of said groups are adapted to engage the peripheries of said flanges to constitute a plurality of lateral guides whereby said mould is rotatively maintained in an upright position on said spinning mechanism.

3. The method of manufacturing concrete n poles and the like, which consists of axially rotating a vertically mounted sectional mold, rapidly delivering fiuid concrete through a conduit into the bottom of said mold, adjusting the speed of rotation of said mold to maintain the top of the concrete fill in the form of a rising basin; raising said conduit to maintain delivery of said concrete into said rising basin as said mold is filled, then rotating said mold at a speed suitable to 'further settle the particles of` the concrete ll.

4. The method of manufacturing reinforced concrete poles and the like, which consists of positioning a reinforcing cage having axially disposed reinforcing rings in a vertically mounted sectional mold, rapidly delivering fluid concrete through a conduit into the bottom of said mold, adjusting the speed of rotation of said mold to maintain the top of the concrete fill in the form of a rising basin, raising said conduit to maintain delivery of said concrete into said rising basin as said mold isfilled, then rotating said mold at a speed suitable to further settle the particles of the concrete iill.

5. In apparatus for the manufacture of concrete poles and the like, and in combination, an upright mold open at its upper end, rotating means for said mold operative to rotate the mold on its axis at speeds suiiicient to develop a basin characteristic to the top of the fluid concrete Within the mold, a supply receptacle for the fluid concrete, a conduit extending axially into said mold and operatively connected With said supply receptacle, said conduit having a length such as to permit delivery of concrete therethrough substantially throughout the length of the mold, and means for supporting and moving said conduit insuch manner as to deliver the iiuid concrete from the lower end thereof substantially in the zone of the content basin, with the conduit movable in the direction of its axis in approximate correspondence with the rise of the basin by the increment additions of concrete provided through the conduit, whereby the delivery of the concrete from conduit to mold will be under substantially uniform conditions during the progressive development of the pole.

JUSTUS F. NE PAGE. 

